Tuesday, February 25, 2014

HORRY COUNTY, SC (WCBD) - Monday morning a news conference at the ML Brown Public Safety building took place concerning the Heather Elvis investigation.

Horry County Police chief Saundra Rhodes announced Sidney and Tammy Moorer are now charged with the murder of Heather Elvis. The bond hearing on the murder charges will be the week of March 17.

"We were able to secure enough probable cause to get a search warrant for the property of the Moorer's. And after conducting that search warrant we were able to secure enough evidence to allow for probable cause for a kidnapping charge as well as the charge for murder," said Rhodes.

Elvis, 20, went missing December 17 and was last heard from early in the morning on December 18. Heather's car was found abandoned at Peachtree Landing along the Waccamaw River on December 19.

The arrest warrants indicate there's probable cause that on or about December 18 Sidney and Tammy Moorer kidnapped and murdered Heather Elvis at Peachtree Boat Landing.

On Friday, February 21,The Moorers were arrested. They were initially charged with kidnapping, obstruction of justice and two counts of indecent exposure.

WBTW learn Monday afternoon that the couple were placed into protective custody inside the J. Reuben Long Detention Center and are being kept separate from the general population for their safety.

At the same time as the conference, Sidney and Tammy Moorer, appeared at J. Reuben Long Detention Center where they were charged with murder.

Tammy Moorer posted bond over the weekend on the $10,000 obstructing justice charge, but remained in jail.

No bail is set for the kidnapping charges.

On Monday afternoon, Fifteenth Judicial Circuit Solicitor Jimmy Richardson said that he does not believe this will be a death penalty case because typically in a death penalty case the defendants must be charged with more than the murder.

"We understand that people are very interested in trying to help, trying to know a little bit more. It comes down to this, you can't ruin a whole investigation over trying to fill in curiosity," said Richardson.

According to arrest warrants, the Tammy's indecent exposure charges stem from an incident at Broadway at the Beach. The warrant says between December 17th and 18th of 2013, she indecently exposed herself at 1325 Celebrity Circle in Myrtle Beach. The second exposure charge is from between December 17th and 18th at Atlantic Avenue and Century Circle in Conway.

The arrest warrant for her obstructing justice charge says on December 20, 2013 she gave police misinformation regarding the disappearance of Heather Elvis and Sidney Moorer's activities during the early morning hours of December 18, 2013. The arrest warrants indicate the false information provided by the Moorer's, diverted resources for this case.

At this point, the authorities have not found Heather Elvis.

The Elvis family took to social media early on in her disappearance asking for help in finding Heather and created a Facebook page.

Volunteers have spent several weekends, handing out information and displaying her picture to try and get clues in this case. The CUE center that helps in missing persons cases has come to Myrtle Beach on more than one occasion looking for answers.

Terry Elvis, who owns a printing business in Myrtle Beach, routinely posts new missing flyers on the Facebook page and lists where they can be picked up for distribution.

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